Tuesday, 23 January 2018

Turtles All the Way Down Review

Number of pages: 288Trigger warnings: OCD, anxiety, self harmTurtles All the Way Down follows Aza, a teenager with OCD who gets pulled into investigating the disappearance of a corrupt businessman, who happens to be the father of a boy she was friends with when she was a child. This book follows her mental illness, friendship, family and romantic relationships.It is proving very hard for me to review this book so lets discuss the things I did and did not like.What I liked:John Green’s writing was beautiful, there were deep and meaningful passages about life and suffering with mental illness that I unwrapped and attempted to memorise.The portrayal of living with OCD: there is a lack of books that discuss mental illness, especially OCD. For anyone who suffers with OCD, this book is likely to strike a chord and for those that do not, perhaps it may help them to understand the chaos that mental illness can be. However, the fact that this book goes in depth in to Aza’s thought process and actions means that it can be triggering.The inclusion of many different relationships: this book featured different kinds of familial relationships, friendships and romantic relationships which is something I would like to see more of in future reads.What I didn't like:There were some elements in this book that did not feel completely accurate to me. A couple of times I felt that Aza’s mother let things go too quickly. Aza’s therapist did not always seem to be very helpful and I wondered why she did not change to another one. Overall, this was a really good read. I read the majority of the book in one day: it was that much of an interesting and quick read. However, this book did not make me feel amazed or left in wonder which is why it ultimately does not reach five stars for me.Rating: 4/5 starsBuy links: Amazon | Book Depository

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